Rick Perry needs a history lesson

"Stahs and bahs forevuh!"

Is Rick Perry getting senile?  I ask because he seems to have trouble remembering his own public remarks.  Did he graduate high school?  Because he also has an astonishing ignorance of the US Constitution.  You know?  That (supposedly) sacred document which he so piously claims to revere?

Now that he is an announced candidate for the presidency, Perry says all his rooty-tooty redneck quips, all his nutty neo-Confederate annunciations, all his twangy Texas tough talk --all of that was taken out of context.

Last night, on Sean Hannity's show, Perry denied ever having suggested that Texas might choose to secede from the United States rather than bend the knee to the federal government.

But there's a problem.  His words are in the public record. Here's what he said:

"We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that? But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot." --Governor Rick Perry, April 15, 2009

Now he says he didn't mean it the way it sounded.

That's not all.  Here's what he said more recently. 



Here's the money quote, in black and white:

...when we came into the nation in 1845, we were a republic, we were a stand-alone nation. And one of the deals was, we can leave anytime we want. So we’re kind of thinking about that again. --Texas Governor Rick Perry

Aside from the offensive nature of Perry's remarks, they reveal a remarkable ignorance of the US Constitution.  This is on par with any of the stupid things that Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann has ever said. In 1869, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on this constitutional misinterpretation, saying:

 [t]he union between Texas and the other States was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration, or revocation, except through revolution, or through consent of the States. --Texas vs. White

As I wrote, back in April, 2009:

Maybe someone can remind [Perry] that Texas actually did secede from the Union in 1861. Ken Burns made an excellent television documentary that can help educate the governor as to how it turned out last time.

The sight of Rick Perry standing on stage, holding his hand over his heart makes me want to puke.  A secessionist playing the patriot.  Simply revolting.